6teen Fan Fiction ❯ 7teen: Tracks to the Max ❯ Train Hop ( Chapter 1 )

Author's notes:

 

For those who don't recall…

 

Mykan is only a fictional character I made and gave my penname, and nothing more. He's not me at all, nor is he related to me. It's all fiction…

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

The next day, everyone met up at The Lemon, except for Jonesy. We all had heard of his new job, and now we were waiting for Jen to give us the 411. Jonesy had only gotten so much as two hours of sleep, as he got home at 5:30, and had to get up again at 7:30.

 

Jen explained that her stepbrother was already looking a little tired, but he still wouldn't admit it, even when, “This morning, he mistook the salt for sugar, and a potted plant for his oatmeal.”

 

Each of us laughed softly, “And so it begins.” Nikki joked. It was after that moment that Jonesy finally made it to the table, and he did indeed look a little sleepy, but not exhausted…

 

He did however let out a huge yawn, “What a night…?” he said through his yawn. “The mall seems way larger without all the people in it.”

 

Wyatt noticed the large bags starting to form under Jonesy's eyes. “Have you looked in a mirror lately…?”

 

Jonesy raised an eyebrow, “Uh, no…and why?”

 

Caitlin pulled out her powder pack. “You've got bags under your eyes.” she pointed out as she showed him his reflection. Jonesy saw the bags but immediately went into denial. “Those aren't bags…” he insisted.

 

“Oh, and what are they…?” Nikki asked. Her boyfriend insisted they were just scorch-marks from rubbing his eyes too much. “I'm going to go flash some water on my face, and clean them off.”

 

The rest of us all laughed again. Unfortunately, Jen realized that since Jonesy hadn't lost his job yet, she owed Jude five-bucks. “Here you go, Jude…” she said as she passed him the bill, but Jude hardly looked up.

 

“Uh… Jude…?” I said to him. “Yo, Jude…!”

 

He finally snapped to. “Sorry… I was zoned-out.” he said. He held up his wallet and showed us he was looking at several pictures. “Just lookin' down memory lane.”

 

We all moved in closer. “Oh, here… this is when my folks and I climbed up mount Everest.”

 

I took the photograph to look at it more closely. “Climbing…? Jude… you look upside-down in this.”

 

Jude nodded, “I am upside down. My dad too this picture standing on his head and I was standing on my head too.”

 

We all fell in awe, “Gee you're dad must have a steady hand.” said Caitlin.

 

Wyatt held up another photo. “What are you doing in this barrel…?”

 

“Ah… there I was getting ready to go down Niagara Falls.”

 

“WHAT…?!?” we all shouted. The fact that Jude prepared to do something suicidal as that. “I know… but it was AWE-SOME…!”

 

As we kept on looking through Jude's posters, we thought it was amazing that he got to do so many exciting things. Most of the others didn't feel their lives were all that risky and dangerous. Other than facing the Zombites… that was too dangerous and nearly cost us our lives.

 

“What about you Mykan…?” Jen asked. “Haven't you taken any risks before.”

 

“Me…? Oh, sure…” I answered. “I've had my share of living on the edge, lost of times.”

 

Nikki giggled, “Yeah, we know. Wyatt once told us you lived on the edge of town.” She joked. Wyatt and she slapped a high five. I, however cast a straight look at Nikki. “Now you listen here, missy…” I said as I walked towards her to sit at Jonesy's seat. “There's still plenty about me that you guys don't know… and probably shouldn't know.”

 

“Ooh… like what?” Caitlin asked. I tried to brush it off, but soon the rest of the gang wanted me to spill it. “Oh, well…” I paused. “Well… when I was nine, my brother, Danny, and I… we hopped a freight-train and we took it all the way across the whole country.”

 

“No Way… dude…!” cried Jude.

 

“You're kidding…?” cried Jen.

 

“What did you guys do for money?” asked Wyatt.

 

I explained that my brother and I did odd-jobs; like sweeping floors, washing dishes, I even played a keyboard for panhandling. “It's how I entered the lifestyles of the work-force, and it's how I can take care of Comic-Cavern without hiring employees.”

 

“Dude… that is so awesome…!” cried Jude.

 

I got up, “Well, that's all behind me now, still… the memory lives on.” Just then, my watch beeped. “Whoop… better get back to work. The store needs her boss after all.”

 

“I'm gone too…” Nikki said.

 

Jen, Wyatt, and Jude left as well, leaving Caitlin by herself. “Ahh… alone again.” she sighed, but just then, a long like of soccer-boys lined up for some lemon-smoothies. She fluttered her eyes that maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

 

…

 

Before anyone knew it, the mall was getting ready to close soon. I had already locked up Comic-Cavern, and was ready to head home when I saw Jude up ahead looking through the window of the toy-store, at the train sets. “Hey, Jude… what are you doing here?”

 

Jude explained he was feeling bored so he thought he watch the trains. “Hey, is that the kinda' train you and your bro used to hop?” he asked.

 

“Well… the others were bigger, and of course they didn't run around in circles…but basically yeah.” It was strange for me. Just looking at those trains brought me back so many memories.

 

“How'd ya do it…?” Jude asked. “How did you get one the train…?”

 

I explained to Jude that what brother and did was… We hid in the train-yard, we would hide in shrubs until dark, “And then when we saw the train pulling out, we'd run after it before it went too fast.”

 

“Cool…!” Jude exclaimed. He gazed back at the trains, “How'd you dudes eat? Where's the kitchen car…?”

 

I laughed softly, “Jude there was no kitchen-car. Not on a freight-train.” I said. “My brother and I said in the boxcar, we ate, beans, canned cold pastas and soups, that's how we got our travelers names.”

 

“Bean-Pasta-Soup man…?”

 

My eyes rolled, “No… “The Boxcar Boys.”

 

Jude felt so amazed by this, he actually bowed at me as if I were a God. “I am not worthy! I am not worthy!” he cried.

 

I felt a little embarrassed, but then Nikki came along. “Hey… window-shopping for toys?” she joked.

 

I sighed. “So, is Jonesy going to walk you home?” I asked. “Gonna'… ya know'… heat up the under the stars…?”

 

Nikki playfully slapped my arm for that. “Nah… he's got work tonight, but I'm starting to get a little worried, he's hardly gotten any sleep at all, and he has to stay up for six hours tonight.”

 

That's when Jonesy walked past us all with his uniform on, carrying his flashlight, and the bags under his eyes looked bigger than ever. “Uh… Jonesy…?” I called. Jonesy just yawned very deeply and kept going.

 

Nikki felt really worried about her boyfriend, “Ah well… its his loss. Catch you guys later…” she said and then she was gone. Jude finally got up. “She's gone… now's our chance.”

 

I looked confused, “Chance? Chance for what?”

 

Jude explained that he couldn't contain himself, and he wanted to sneak down to the railroad-tacks. “I gotta' see it for myself, Dude… just this once.”

 

I really didn't think he was in the right frame of mind, “Jude… don't be silly. What reason should we have to sneak into the train yard?”

 

Jude pulled out every convincing loophole he could name, and I caved-in. “Promise you'll shut-up… and I'll take you.”

 

We slapped a high five and we went off.

 

…

 

A few blocks away from the mall, the train yard was dark, and quiet. It was even a little breezy too as Jude and walked along the rails near a hoard of bushes. My insides were going crazy with delight, “Man… there's nothing like a train yard at night.”

 

Jude agreed, “It's so peaceful here.” But then suddenly the tracks rumbled and the loud blaring of a horn shot near us. “WHA-HA-HAA… What's that?”

 

I chuckled, “Jude… that's the train.”

 

“What makes the one you rode look like a toy?” replied Jude.

 

Suddenly, I could see a small light, and heard a voice call out, “Hey, who's out there…?”

 

“Uh-oh! It's the guard!” I cried.

 

“You mean that tall, fat dude with the seein' eye dog?” Jude asked.

 

I peeked through the bushes. “No—that's no seeing eye dog…” I whimpered. “It's a Dover-men Pincher!”

 

Jude leapt up and began to run for it, “Don't let him pinch me!” he cried.

 

“Jude…! Jude… wait!” I called as I ran after him.

 

…

 

“Hey…! Get away from that train!” the guard yelled. His dog barked angrily. Jude was already hopped aboard in the boxcar as the train began to pull out. “Jude…!” I cried as I dashed as fast as I could. “Jude… get out of there!”

 

The train began to go faster, almost too fast for me to catch up to. “Run Boxcar, run!” cried Jude. I dashed with all my might and made it onto the boxcar. “All aboard…!” replied Jude. “Dude… I always wanted to say that.

 

“Well you got your wish.” I sneered at him.

 

“And you got yours, Dude. We're ridin' the rails. Isn't is awesome…?”

 

“No it's not…!” I groaned as I got to my feet and felt the breeze going past the doorway. “Oh, no…! Now the train's going too fast. We can't get off.”

 

The worst part was, I left y cell-phone in my car. Jude has his with him, but the batteries were dead, and even if they weren't, the speed and distance we were going badly cut the signal. “Dude… you're acting like this is my fault.”

 

“Well isn't it…?” I scoffed.

 

“I was hoping we could share…”

 

I leaned against he wooden-walls and sagged down to the floor as the train continued to carry me and Jude off into the night.